Monday, July 26, 2010

The Ralahine Commune: "was a co-operative society founded in 1831 on the estate of John Vandeleur at Ralahine, Co. Clare. In an attempt to keep his tenants away from secret societies like the “Ribbonmen”… After two years however, it collapsed. Vandeleur’s reckless lifestyle and his gambling habit finally brought an end to the experiment."

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Uckfield Photography: "John Frisby received some national attention as a photographer when he became associated with the discovery of fragments of a supposedly pre-historic human skull in gravel beds near Piltdown"

Chilean Women’s Resistance in the Arpillera Movement: "During the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, many Chilean women created complex tapestries depicting the harsh conditions of life and the pain resulting from the disappeared victims of Pinochet’s repression. These tapestries, known as arpilleras, get their name from the Spanish word for the burlap backing they used. However, through their art they came to represent much more in the history of modern Chile."

Thursday, July 22, 2010

For those that may have looked at the Yearbooks post and have been interested in the 1907 book but put off at the format provided by the site (I obviously was), I have taken the liberty of creating a PDF (so that I can read it on my iPad) and I make it available for you, dear reader, to download at BlueWhite.pdf[20.51MB] (for the next 3 days). It makes for interesting reading as a snapshot of the times. Some of the content make shock the younger reader that is not familiar with how common words like 'nigger' and suchlike were used, but read it with the times in mind. The students come across as cruel at times but essentially honest in their appraisals of each other. There is a palpable sense of camaraderie in the stories and pictures of the medical students and I found it to be a fascinating documentation of the times.

Bombardier beetle: "A bombardier beetle produces and stores two reactant chemical compounds hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide in separate reservoirs in the rear tip of its abdomen. When threatened, the beetle contracts muscles that force the two reactants through valved tubes into a mixing chamber containing water and a mixture of catalytic enzymes. When combined, the reactants undergo a violent exothermic chemical reaction raising the temperature to near the boiling point of water. The corresponding pressure buildup forces the entrance valves from the reactant storage chambers to close, thus protecting the beetle's internal organs. The boiling, foul-smelling liquid partially becomes a gas (flash evaporation) and is expelled through an outlet valve into the atmosphere with a loud popping sound."

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Le Taureau de Picasso: "The printing process took fifteen days. On December 5th 1945, one month after his first visit to the rue Chabrol studio, Picasso made a wash drawing of a bull. A wonderful bull, very well rendered, sweet, even. Then we printed the proofs - only two or three, making this first state of the bull an extremely rare. One week later he returned and asked for a fresh stone; he made another wash drawing and quill drawing; then he started again on the 18th. For the third state he changed technique, scraping down to the stone and drawing over to accentuate the contours; the bull became a terrible creature, with terrifying horns and eyes. Well, that wouldn't do - Picasso took the composition to the fourth state, on December 22, and then a fifth on December 24. Each time he simplified the drawing; it bacame more and more geometric, with zones of flat black… He then made the sixth and seventh states (December 26th and 28th), and then four more between January 5th and 17th - eleven in all. The taureau was reduced to its essential form, rendered in a few perfectly placed lines which symbolized this poor bull with his pinhead and ridiculous horns like antennae. The workers all regretted seeing such a magnificent bull transformed bit by bit into a sort of insect".

"It was Célestin who finally expressed it: "Picasso ended up where normally he should have started." It's true; but in order to achieve his pure and linear rendering of the bull, he had to pass through all of the intermediary stages. And when you stand before his eleventh bull, it's hard to imagine the work that went into it"..."

Paul Bowles: "An inveterate traveler [traveller], composer and writer, Paul Bowles was a truly remarkable figure whose life and work embodied and responded to major impulses of the twentieth century." An interesting life. Protected from right-clicks for some reason?

The Early Chinese Canadians, 1858-1947: "The history of Canada's early Chinese immigrants. How immigration policies and attitudes restricted their lives in Canada. Historical photographs, government documents, letters, film clips and recordings. Also, the 'head tax'."

It don't work on my IPad. I love graphs, fix it please.This post brought up some other things:I want to CamelCase too. I'm able to do it obviously but it's such a pain. I usually use a macro, in particular I'm a big fan of QuickKeys, is there an equivalent?

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

University of Auckland Architecture Archive: "The image collection features a selection of drawings, plans, elevations and photographs from the University of Auckland's collection. The archive's holdings range from the nineteenth century to the present with strengths in the Auckland region and the modern movement."

Facts and Figures from UNESCO: "Inequalities. The poorest percentile of Americans are better off than 62 per cent of the world population… Only 3 per cent of the richest Indians are better off than the poorest Americans… In Brazil the poor are among the poorest in the world, and the richest belong to the highest income percentile. (Milanovic)"

Who was George Rudé: "George Rudé was a prolific researcher and writer. Although he began his academic career at the age of fifty, he wrote some 15 books and edited several others. He was one of the leading practitioners of 'history from below' and his work influenced an entire generation of historians of the French Revolution."

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

WalterFilm Online Photo Museum - Yousuf Karsh: "ZULU, a film about warfare between the British and Zulu warriors in 1879, was directed by Cy Enfield, and its cast included Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, and Michael Caine. It was released to considerable acclaim on 17 June 1964, and it is now considered something of a classic in its genre.

Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) is famous for his iconic portraits, such as those of Churchill, Hemingway, and Einstein. When he was given the commission to go and do the on-set photography of this film, he focused not on the white movie stars, but rather on the native Zulu people, and, in the process, produced what appears to be his only extensive series of ethnographic portraits."

Monday, July 5, 2010

The day is cold and gloomy, though dry. I spent the morning repairing one of my temple garments; I also hit the street to renew a book at the library and also buy some oats and peas for the rabbits. While I was in the shop, a man in motor cycle gear asked me if the oats were for rabbits. He spoke curiously. Anyway, he then ordered two pounds of mixed molasses. I asked him if they were for a lion. The girl serving us broke into laughter; he did not.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Staffordshire Wives: "On Tuesday last HODSON a chimney sweeper, better known by the appropriate nickname of Cupid, brought his wife into the Market Place of this town and disposed of her by auction. She was put up at the sum of one penny, but as there were several bidders, and of course a good deal of rivalship, she sold for five shillings and sixpence."